The Stratocaster That Really Wanted to be a Telecaster…

This specially built lightweight guitar weighs just 6.80 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. One-piece solid ash body, contoured on back and lower bass bout and finished in two-tone Sunburst (black to yellow). One-piece fretted maple neck with a huge 1954/55 profile. Maple fretboard with 21 frets, and black dot position markers. Small headstock with decal with Fender "spaghetti" logo in gold with black trim, "STRATOCASTER" in black beside it, "WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO" in black below it, and with "ORIGINAL Contour Body" decal at the ball end of the headstock. Individual 'no-name' Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Single "round" string tree. Four-bolt neck plate. The arrangement of the pickups are what makes this guitar unique. In the neck position is an "Alnico 3" single-coil pickup hand-wound to the specification of a 1954/55 Stratocaster. In the bridge position is an "Alnico 3" single-coil pickup hand-wound to the specification of a 1953 Telecaster. The middle pickup is a non-functioning "dummy". Single-layer white plastic pickguard with eight screws. Three controls (one volume, one tone and one 'dummy') plus four-way pickup selector switch, all on the lower treble side of the pickguard. White plastic Stratocaster knobs with gold lettering. Fender six-pivot bridge unit with through-body stringing. The neck has a pencil mark of "F.S. 5-00" and theneck pickup cavity has a pencil mark of "FS 2 TSB". The potentiometers are all stamped "134 9948" (CTS December 1999). This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in its original G & L green 'aligator' case with white leather ends and black plush lining (9.25).

Fred Stuart built this unique guitar for himself in May of 2000. In a recent discussion with Fred, he explained that he really likes the sound of a Telecaster but in some ways prefers the aesthetic look of a Stratocaster. So in early 2000 he set about creating a guitar that looked like a Strat… but sounded like a Tele. He used a 1953 Tele pickup as a benchmark and proceeded to make a hand-wound copy to the exact specification, using 42 gauge wire and a steel elevator plate on the underside for increased induction. He then took a pickup from a 1954 Strat and created a clone for the neck pickup position. Not wishing to spoil or alter the aesthetic look of the guitar he used a "dummy" pickup in the middle position and also a "dummy" potentiometer for one of the tone controls. In order to create the Tele sound that he wanted he wired the two pickups through a four-way switch. The first three positions are standard Tele wiring: 1. bridge only; 2. neck and bridge; 3. neck only. The fourth position is the neck and bridge pickups wired in series. There is only one volume and one tone control (the other tone knob is purely for the Strat look). The result is a very unusual and unique instrument. The guitar has one of the fattest neck profiles we have ever seen - somewhat akin to a '54 or '55 Stratocaster. The guitar is super light (6.80 lbs) and sounds just like a '53 Telecaster - but you can also get the Strat sound using the fourth position on the switch.

"Fred Stuart knows guitars. He has played them most of his life, has a collection that fills several garages, and hand builds them for customers worldwide. Fred learned much of his trade at Fender, the legendary brand that has provided guitars to the world’s best known musicians, but he’s perfected his art form on his own. “I’m obsessive about materials,” he told us. “You can’t build a great guitar unless you start with great materials. A lot of the big companies are all about cost control and some accountant making decisions. But when you only use the best, you end up with an exceptional product, and the customers are willing to pay for it.“ Fred uses Makita saws, routers and drills in his workshop. “Makita tools are amazing quality. They’re incredibly well engineered and built to last. The precision is perfect, which is important when I’m working on a guitar worth thousands of dollars.” Art, inspiration, music and craftsmanship all come together in Fred Stuart’s shop. Makita just helps make the tune a little sweeter." (courtesy of Virtual Vintage Guitars).

"Twang!… That says it all for me! My earliest recollections of music are some of the old hillbilly artists from the mid-fifties. When I found out that the best sounds were being made on Telecasters, I was irrevocably converted. Being a part of the process of carrying on the tradition is no less than an honor and a privilege."

Whilst at the Fender Custom Shop, Fred Stuart was responsible for many guitars featured in the Fender Custom Shop Gallery including: The Egyptian Tele, The Moto Strat Set, The Danny Gatton Doubleneck, The Aztec-Mayan Telecaster, The Buck Owens Tele, The Resonator Tele, The Double Bender Telecaster, The Right-Hand/Left-Hand Stratocaster, The Horseshoe Tele, The Celtic Tele, The Rhinestone Strat, The La Riata Tele, The Deco-Pearl Danny Gatton Telecaster, The Checkerboard Bajo Sexto Telecaster, The Velvet Elvis Telecaster and The 50th Anniversary Fender Electric Spanish Guitar and Amp Set.